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Cleveland Cavaliers P.M. links: Youth key factor in 4th quarter struggles; Cavs reportedly interested in Greg Oden

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Young Cavs have been tied or leading entering fourth quarter in 18 games, but have won only half of them -- plus one other game. Former Ohio Stater and first overall draft pick Oden has had career sidetracked by injuries. More Cavaliers story links.

byron-scott2.jpg The Cavaliers' Byron Scott is coaching one of the youngest teams in the NBA.  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers return from their 1-4 Western road trip to host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers are 10-32, one game beyond the mid-point of the 82-game schedule. Boston is 20-19 going into its game tonight against the Pistons in Detroit.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Cavaliers coverage includes Mary Schmitt Boyer's game story on the Cavaliers' 109-98 loss to the Jazz in Utah on Saturday night; Schmitt Boyer's take on the first half of the Cavs' season and what the team hopes to accomplish the rest of the way; Schmitt Boyer's Cleveland Cavaliers Insider, featuring guard-forward C.J. Miles; numerous other stories and reports.

The Cavs win-loss record is second worst in the NBA, better than only the Washington Wizards' 8-30.

Jason Lloyd writes for the Akron Beacon Journal that the Cavs' youth and late-game struggles are key factors in the team's losing trend (referring to former Cavs Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker):

The Cavaliers knew when they assembled this roster that this was one of the risks. Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson and Luke Walton remain the veteran leaders, but none is as vocal as Jamison and none is that fatherly mentor that Parker was last season. But the Cavs didn’t want to sign a veteran just to sign one. They were committed to playing the youngsters and were concerned how a veteran new to the organization and nearing the end of his career would fit, knowing minutes weren’t going to be plentiful.

Scott isn’t regretting that decision now, only acknowledging that the voids left by Jamison and Parker haven’t been appropriately filled.

“I still think we’re doing it the right way,” he said. “We’re going to bite the bullet here a little and take our lumps, but I still think we’re doing it the right way.”

The Cavs have been tied or leading entering the fourth quarter in 18 games this season, but they’ve won only half of them, according to Elias Sports. If they won just five more of those, they would be 10th in the East and competing for the final playoff spot.

Instead, they’re still among the worst in the league.
Cavaliers story links

The Cavaliers are reportedly among the teams interested in signing former Ohio State center Greg Oden, whose NBA career has been sidetracked by a series of injuries. (By Sam Amico, FoxSportsOhio.com)

Cleveland Benedictine High School graduate Rich Paul, LeBron James' agent, has teamed with respected Cleveland agent Mark Termini. Paul has maintained a solid working relationship with the Cavs. (By Bob Finnan, News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal)

Breaking down the Cavs' loss to the Jazz, and commentary. (By Tom Pestak, Cavs: The Blog)

Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving should be named to the Eastern Conference all-star team as a reserve. (By Tom Ziller, SBNation.com)

Analysis of some Cavs' stats halfway through the season. (WaitingForNextYear)

Should the Cavs keep center Anderson Varejao -- currently sidelined after having surgery on his right quad -- or trade him? (Bleacher Report)

The Cavs wouldn't have much to lose in taking a chance on Greg Oden, who hasn't played in a game for more than three years. (By Nick Mancini, Stepien Rules)



Once a St. Edward standout, Elijah Brown returns to NE Ohio Monday with powerful Mater Dei to take on Eagles

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In the confines of the sometimes nomadic structure of the NBA, life can take a hard, left turn. That's what happened to Brown, who returns to St. Edward Monday night

elijah-brown-reax-squ-ocr.jpg View full size Former St. Edward standout Elijah Brown -- the son of former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown -- returns to Northeast Ohio Monday as his Mater Dei team takes on the Eagles. "I am really looking forward to coming back," he said. "I miss Cleveland. I miss the guys I went to school with."  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- During the six years he lived in Ohio, Elijah Brown dreamed of winning a state championship and playing on a high-school basketball team that was ranked as one of the best in the country.

He never imagined it would happen in Southern California.

Dreams can be interrupted without a pardon. In the confines of the sometimes nomadic structure of the National Basketball Association, life can take a hard, left turn and that's what happened to Brown, who returns to St. Edward Monday night for the first time since relocating to SoCal and enrolling in high-profile Mater Dei in Santa Ana prior to the start of the 2011-12 season.

Brown does not hide the fact that he misses St. Edward and his life in Northeast Ohio.

"I am really looking forward to coming back," he said in a recent telephone interview. "I miss St. Edward. I wanted to win a state championship so bad when I was there. I miss Cleveland. I miss the guys I went to school with. I follow them on Twitter and things like that and I still talk to some of the guys I played with. St. Edward will always be a special place."

During most of the time he lived here, life for Brown was grand.

His father, Mike, was on his way to becoming the winningest head coach in Cavaliers history and Elijah spent considerable time around the team. As a freshman, he made the varsity on one of the area's highest-profile teams. He became a starter as a sophomore and was instrumental in the Eagles' 18-6 record and Division I regional appearance. His younger brother, Cameron -- now on the Mater Dei junior varsity -- was flourishing in football and basketball at Burneson Middle School in Westlake. It was all pretty cool stuff.

The Cavs' playoff collapse in 2010 eventually brought an end to it all. Brown found a new life in California when his father was named head coach of the Lakers. He enrolled in Mater Dei and became the sixth man on a team that won a second straight state championship.

He's now a starter for the Monarchs, who come to Lakewood with a 20-0 record and ranked in the top 10 in the country by MaxPreps (fourth), USA Today (sixth) and ESPN (10th).

"Coming to Mater Dei, I wasn't sure how it would work out," said Elijah Brown, who is averaging about 23 points a game. "They had already won one state title and had several starters coming back. The first year was really tough, but we have good chemistry this year."

mike-brown-watch-son-2012-lat.jpg View full size "It was a tough move for him initially," Mike Brown said of his son finding a place at Mater Dei's basketball program. "He probably didn't play as much as he would have liked. But, he kept at it and it's all working out."  

Brown, a 6-2 guard, was relegated to spot duty during his junior year and the transition was not an easy one. Even being part of a state championship team offered little solace.

"It was a tough move for him initially," Mike Brown said in a phone interview. "He was coming into a situation where the team had three kids who had won a state championship as juniors. Two of those kids are playing at Colorado and another is at UNLV. He probably didn't play as much as he would have liked. But, he kept at it and it's all working out."

St. Edward coach Eric Flannery lamented the loss of the Brown family.

"Yes, Elijah was a good player, no question," said Flannery. "But he and his family are great people and you hate to see good people leave. Everyone wanted them to stay. But, I put myself in Mike's shoes. Would I want to coach on the West Coast when my son was back in the Midwest? Absolutely not. I would want my family with me. So, we understood and we had to move on."

Elijah has learned that basketball is different out west.

"Here, it is more of a business," he said of the West Coast. "In the Midwest, you just grind it out. Here, there are more flashy players. It's a fact of life. Out here, you never would get a rivalry like St. Edward and St. Ignatius."

Brown has narrowed his college choices to Butler, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, St. Mary's College and Miami (Fla.). He, his parents and younger brother attended Saturday's game in Indianapolis when Butler hosted Gonzaga.

Elijah holds no ill feelings toward the Cavs or the Lakers. Neither franchise has exactly turned the world upside down since Mike Brown's departure.

"The NBA was a great experience," Elijah said. "I appreciated being around it."

He admits that leaving Cleveland was not his preference. "I was shocked," he said of learning the family would move to Los Angeles. "At the time it was more bitter than sweet."

He also enjoyed being the son of a NBA coach.

"They all have great basketball minds and that's been an advantage," he said. "But, it wasn't all basketball between us. We had our differences and didn't always agree on things, probably like a lot of people."

Both player and former coach agree that the circumstances of Monday's game at St. Edward will be a change.

"It will be weird not sitting on the home side," said Mike Brown, who had a permanent spot in the St. Edward gym just to the right and behind the team's bench.

The temptation to return to that spot will be hard to resist.

On Twitter: @TimRogersPD

Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas one of three finalists for NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year

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Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has been selected as one of three finalists for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

joethomas.JPG Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has been named one of three finalists for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has been named one of three finalists for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which was announced at halftime of the AFC Championship Game.

 Renamed in 1999 after legendary Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, this honor is the only league award that recognizes a player's off-the-field community service activities as well as his playing excellence.

Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Dallas tight end Jason Witten are the other two finalists.

From the Browns release, the winner will be announced the night before Super Bowl XLVIII, at the "2nd Annual NFL Honors," a star-studded football and entertainment event. The two-hour prime time awards special from the Mahalia Jackson Theatre in New Orleans will air nationally on Saturday, February 2, from 9:00-11:00 p.m. (ET) on CBS.

"I am honored and truly humbled to be recognized as a finalist for this award," said Thomas. "Walter Payton wasn't just a Hall-of-Fame player, he was also one of the best people that ever played in the NFL and made a difference in so many lives. Giving back is something that is extremely important and the Cleveland community is very special to me."

"Since he joined the Browns in 2007, Joe Thomas has been a tremendous ambassador for our franchise and Northeast Ohio," said Browns CEO Joe Banner. "Not only has he established himself as one of the top offensive linemen in the game, but his philanthropic work has had an extremely positive impact on numerous people. Community involvement is one of our top off-field priorities, and Joe epitomizes these efforts. On behalf of everyone at the Cleveland Browns, we would like to congratulate Joe on this outstanding and well-deserved honor."

The three finalists were chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from the 32 team nominees for the award, all of whom receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice. The three finalists will receive an additional $5,000 donation in their name. Thomas has selected Team Rubicon USA, a non-profit organization co-founded by a former college teammate Jacob Wood, who also served our country through the United States Marines. Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with medical professionals to rapidly deploy emergency response teams into crisis situations.

The Man of the Year Award has been given annually since 1970 and past winners include many of the league's greatest players, 13 of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The selection panel is comprised of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Walter Payton's wife Connie Payton, Pro Football Hall of Fame members Frank Gifford and Anthony Muñoz, last year's Walter Payton award winner Matt Birk of the Baltimore Ravens and Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award will receive the Gladiator statue, an original art creation by the noted sculptor, Daniel Schwartz.  In addition, the player's favorite charity will receive an additional $20,000 donation in his name.

Thomas has a deep connection with those who serve our country. In 2010, he traveled more than 14,000 miles round trip to visit troops in Afghanistan through the NFL/USO Tour. To this day he is still in contact with many of the troops he met during that trip. Upon his return, Thomas supported a national USO campaign to raise additional funds in support of our troops, lending his name to the nationwide effort. Along with former NFL players and coaches, Thomas visited the Pentagon last offseason to take part in the Military-NFL Culture Change Campaign focus group to help educate people about the dangers of traumatic brain injuries. Thomas was the league's only active player to participate in the study.

Earlier this year, Thomas made the largest individual financial contribution that the local "Kids in Need Resource Center" has ever received. The center helps provide school supplies for more than 180 schools in impoverished areas. Thomas also founded the "Blue Collar Corner" season ticket program which provided tickets, apparel and food for families through the Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council. In addition, he founded the "Thomas' Troops" season ticket program which hosted men and women who serve our country every home game and provided tickets, apparel and food through the USO of Northern Ohio.

Thomas has annually served as the Honorary Co-Chair of the "Taste of the Browns" to benefit the Cleveland Foodbank, and held a similar role this year with the Providence House, the Cleveland Browns Courage House. He has also served as a spokesman for both the United Way and Fuel Up to Play 60 as well as extending support to local youth football teams through equipment donations. Thomas also offered local kids a unique holiday shopping experience through the annual Shop with the Pro event, which this year benefitted kids who had been impacted by loss of items through fires or natural disasters. Joe and his wife, Annie, are also committed to other causes including the local Animal Protective League and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Thomas' also annually participate in the Browns Adopt-A-Family program through The "Littlest Heroes", an organization that works with kids diagnosed with cancer and their families.

On the field, Thomas has been selected to the Pro Bowl in all six of his NFL seasons. He has not missed an offensive snap since joining the Browns as the third overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, starting all 96 games of his career at left tackle. Thomas joins Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown (1958-66) as the only Browns selected to the Pro Bowl in each of their first six seasons in the league. The last Browns player to be named to six consecutive Pro Bowls was Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly, who earned the honor for the 1967-72 Pro Bowls. Thomas is one of six Browns to earn Pro Bowl honors six or more times. In addition, Thomas has been selected to numerous All-Pro teams during his career.

 

Garfield Heights gets big win, beating Dunbar in Dayton

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DAYTON, Ohio -- In a back-and-forth game, it was Garfield Heights making the final and decisive run. The Bulldogs, meeting Dayton power Dunbar for the first time in recent history, used a late surge to make a statement with 64-55 victory at Flyin' to the Hoop in Dayton. Senior guard Richard Parker scored a team-high 20 points and Garfield...

DAYTON, Ohio -- In a back-and-forth game, it was Garfield Heights making the final and decisive run.

The Bulldogs, meeting Dayton power Dunbar for the first time in recent history, used a late surge to make a statement with 64-55 victory at Flyin' to the Hoop in Dayton. Senior guard Richard Parker scored a team-high 20 points and Garfield Heights closed the game on a 16-4 run, overcoming a spirited rally by Dunbar.

The Wolverines (11-2) used a 10-2 run to take a four-point lead with three minutes left. Then Bulldogs junior Al Burge hit a 3-pointer before stealing the ball, racing downcourt and dunking to give Garfield Heights the lead for good. Senior guard Richard Parker scored a team-high 20 for the Bulldogs, and 6-10 junior center Dave Bell added 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

"It was all about our toughness," Parker said. "We get that from our coach. He's a dog, so our players are dogs."

The taller Wolverines outrebounded Dunbar 35-25 and blocked eight shots.

"To me, it was a statement," Parker said. "It was Cleveland versus Dayton."

HCYA 82, SVSM 78: Narrow losses have dogged St. Vincent-St. Mary's this season, and that trend continued in Dayton.

HCYA star Justin Jackson sank a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation and the Texas team went on to edge the Fighting Irish in overtime. Jackson, a 6-8 junior regarded as one of the country's top underclassmen, poured in 41 points.

"I'm not one of those guys that likes to foul and send guys to the line. The kid hit a tough shot," said SVSM coach Dru Joyce.

The Irish (7-7) led throughout the fourth quarter until Jackson's deep swish from the top of the key, but never led in overtime.

"We've had some close losses. That's been the story all season. They hit some tough shots," said Joyce, whose team cooled off in the second half after making 4 of 5 3-point attempts in the first half.

Freshman VJ King led the Irish with 22 points, while senior forward Nick Wells grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

Our Savior (N.Y.) 64, St. Ignatius 59: A spirited late rally led by junior guard Francisco Santiago fell just short for the Wildcats.

Santiago nearly erased a late nine-point deficit with two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in the final 63 seconds, but Our Savior put the game away from the free-throw line. Facing a significant height disadvantage against a team featuring multiple players 6-8 and taller, the Wildcats (9-3) made 21 fewer trips to the free-throw line than Our Savior, which also blocked seven shots, compared to none for St. Ignatius.

St. Ignatius started strong, building a 21-10 lead, but managed just two points in the third quarter as Our Savior took control. The Wildcats threatened late thanks to Santiago's game-high 23 points, but couldn't close the gap. Eric Black added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Derek Sloan posted nine points and 10 rebounds.

Jeff Ermann is a freelance writer in Dayton.

NFL playoffs: Ravens upset Patriots 28-13 to make Super Bowl

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Joe Flacco outdueled Tom Brady, throwing three touchdown passes in the second half and leading the Baltimore Ravens to their first Super Bowl in 12 years with a 28-13 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday for the AFC championship.

APTOPIX AFC Championship Football Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) reacts after throwing a five-yeard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta during the second half of the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. Right is New England Patriots defensive end Trevor Scott. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)  

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Joe Flacco outdueled Tom Brady, throwing three touchdown passes in the second half and leading the Baltimore Ravens to their first Super Bowl in 12 years with a 28-13 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday for the AFC championship.

The win sets up the first Super Bowl coached by brothers, Baltimore's John Harbaugh and San Francisco's Jim. The 49ers won the NFC title earlier Sunday 28-24 at Atlanta.

The 49ers have been listed as 5-point favorites.

Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis' final season will conclude in two weeks in New Orleans; he was the MVP of the 2001 game, the Ravens' only Super Bowl win.

Flacco had two touchdown passes to Anquan Boldin and one to Dennis Pitta as the Ravens outscored the Patriots 21-0 in the second half. Baltimore's defense made Brady look ordinary and stymied the league's top offense. Brady was 67-0 at home when leading at halftime.

Flacco's three touchdown passes came in just over 10 minutes in the second half. He connected with Bolden for two TDs in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter — a 3-yarder and an 11-yarder — after hitting Pitta with a 5-yard strike with 6:14 left in the third.

The Ravens (13-6) gained just 130 yards in the first half before Flacco guided them on scoring drives of 87 and 63 yards.

New England (13-5) suffered three injuries in the first half. Cornerback Aqib Talib hurt his thigh and defensive tackle Kyle Love injured his knee. The return of both starters was questionable. Backup safety Patrick Chung was helped off the field after one play.

The Patriots played without tight end Rob Gronkowski, who broke his left arm a week earlier in their 41-28 divisional win over the Houston Texans.

Stephen Gostkowski had given the Patriots a 3-0 lead with a 31-yard field goal with 6:21 left in the first quarter. But the Ravens went ahead on Ray Rice's 2-yard touchdown run with 9:28 to go in the second.

Wes Welker then scored with just over 4 minutes remaining in the half on a 1-yard pass from Brady and the Patriots increased their lead on Gostkowski's 25-yard field goal on the final play before intermission.

New England outgained Baltimore 214 yards to 130 in the half. Brady completed 14 of 24 passes for 139 yards, while Flacco went 6 for 12 for 81 yards. Neither team committed a turnover.

The scoring pass to Bolden ended a drive on which Flacco completed five of six passes, the longest a 23-yarder to Torrey Smith.

The touchdown by Pitta capped the Ravens' best drive of the game, covering 87 yards in 10 plays. It started with a 15-yard defensive pass interference penalty. Then, Flacco completed six of his other nine passes on the series. Three of them went for first downs — 22 yards to Pitta, 15 to Rice and 12 to Bolden that gave the Ravens a first-and-goal at the Patriots 10-yard line.

Flacco then connected with Pitta for a 5-yard pass and finished the drive with another 5-yarder to Pitta, who easily beat single coverage by safety Steve Gregory.

The Patriots began the scoring on Gostkowski's kick, ending a 13-play, 67-yard drive during which Brady completed five of seven passes for 55 yards.

Rice's touchdown ended a 13-play, 90-yard drive that lasted 5:51. Flacco threw completions for first downs of 17 yards to Pitta, 11 yards to Rice, 8 yards to Bernard Pierce and 25 yards to Smith. With a first down at the Patriots 15-yard line, Rice ran for 8 and 5 yards, giving the Ravens a first down at the 2.

After Flacco threw an incompletion out of bounds, Rice took a handoff, ran to the left and scored easily.

Welker's touchdown came 4:18 before intermission and capped an 11-play, 79-yard drive. He scored on a pass to the right as cornerbacks Corey Graham and Chykie Brown appeared to get crossed up on their assignments.

On the first play of the series, Baltimore's Dannell Ellerbe was penalized 15 yards for a blow to the head. Then a 24-yard completion from Brady to Welker gave the Patriots a first down at the Ravens 16-yard line.

Both teams punted on their first possession before the Patriots began their scoring drive at their 21-yard line after a 50-yard punt by Sam Koch.

The Patriots began the series with Brady's 8-yard completion to Brandon Lloyd. The pair teamed up for three completions, gaining 37 yards, on the drive.

The Ravens punted on their first three possessions in the first quarter. The Patriots punted on three of their four series, forcing Baltimore to start deep in its territory.


Parma's Troy Tomasello in seventh place at U.S. Figure Skating Championships

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The free skate is Tuesday night in Omaha, Neb.

Troy Tomasello of Parma was seventh among 12 junior men after Sunday night's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, Neb.

Tomasello scored a 53.77. Tomasello, 18, is representing the Strongsville Skating Club and will be back on ice Tuesday night in the free skate. Shotaro Omori of Los Angeles leads with a 69.87.

Tomasello placed seventh last year in junior men. He is the twin brother of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy senior wrestler Nathan Tomasello.

The novice dance pair of Kimberly Berkovich and Micah Jaffe of the Pavilion Skating Club in Cleveland Heights were 10th after Sunday's starlight waltz and paso doble pattern dances. Their free skate begins at 10:20 a.m. today.

Twinsburg beats Cincinnati Princeton at Classic in the Country

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Berlin, Ohio -- When you are the defending Division I state champions, on any given day, there is a target on your back. When you've won two titles in a row -- as Twinsburg has -- and are playing in one of the top girls basketball tournaments in Ohio, that bull's-eye grows even bigger.

Berlin, Ohio -- When you are the defending Division I state champions, on any given day, there is a target on your back.

When you've won two titles in a row -- as Twinsburg has -- and are playing in one of the top girls basketball tournaments in Ohio, that bull's-eye grows even bigger.

For a minute, in front of a full house and a number of college scouts looking on at the Amish Pie Classic in the Country, Cincinnati Princeton seemed to have Twinsburg figured out.

It appeared that maybe the Vikings were primed for an upset.

That, even without the top player in the Class of 2014, Kelsey Mitchell, who was lost in the third game of the year.

For a minute, that was.

After that, three words came to mind -- "bigger, faster, stronger" -- as the Tigers (15-0) rolled to a 55-37 win over the Vikings.

"We always have a target on our backs, although I don't think people expected that this year," Twinsburg coach Julie Solis said. "I don't think we brought our 'A' game tonight -- too much up and down and going back into the valley for me -- but we've had 10 days off now, so we were a little rusty."

Brooke Smith seemed to give a spark to the Tigers, when her steal with 5:06 left in the first quarter resulted in a 6-0 lead.

The Tigers' defense took over after that, with Princeton (10-6) scoring its only points of the period at the 3:44 mark.

Princeton got within six with just over four minutes left in the second quarter, at 16-10. A steal by Ashley Morrissette with just over three minutes remaining led the Tigers to an 11-point halftime lead.

"We were looking kind of slow and sluggish, and I just wanted to give us a lift," said the Purdue-bound Morrissette, who led the Tigers with 20 points and four assists.

Twinsburg scored the first four points of the third quarter, and by 5:43, Smith made it 31-16 with a deep 3. She finished with 11 points.

Twinsburg's Mercedes Hobbs had 11 rebounds.

Kettering Fairmont 67, Wadsworth 47: For the Grizzlies, this was perhaps the biggest test they will have until the playoffs begin.

The Firebirds, last year's state runners-up, not only sported a 13-0 slate but also were averaging 70 points per game.

Wadsworth held a 17-13 lead after one quarter, but Kettering showed why it could push Twinsburg at the state finals.

Two 3-pointers by Danie Shaffer helped the Firebirds take a 32-26 halftime lead.

In the third period, the Grizzlies' press helped them inch closer. Rachel Goddard's layup with 5:19 cut it to one.

Katheryn Westbeld hit a 3 for Kettering on the next possession, and after that, Wadsworth couldn't contain the Firebirds.

The Grizzlies' defense held Kettering to just 29-of-66 (44 percent) shooting from the field.

Goddard and McKenzie O'Brien each had 12 points for Wadsworth.

Westbeld led all scorers with 16 points.

Midpark 54, Withrow 46: Paced by the dynamic duo of junior center Stasha Carey (18 points, 12 rebounds) and senior guard Korie Maryo (16 points), Midpark jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

Although Withrow was able to get 15 points off turnovers, at one point, Midpark led, 46-31. The Meteors shot 51.2 percent from the field, and in the first half nearly 70 percent from 3-point range, with Maryo leading the team with four 3s.

Withrow did play a tight first half, with the Meteors holding only a 31-27 advantage. A 15-6 third quarter pretty much sealed the deal for Midpark.

Adriana Williams had 16 points for Withrow, while Siri Huey added 12.

Bellbrook 45, Archbishop Hoban 40 (OT): Despite a horrible field-goal percentage (29.4 percent), Bellbrook was able to eke out an overtime win over Hoban.

Hoban held a 19-6 lead in the second quarter.

But some good defense in the third period enabled the Golden Eagles to pretty much shut down the Knights and tie it up

The game featured four lead changes and four ties.

Chea Taylor led the Golden Eagles and all scorers with 17 points, while Hannah Songer and Gabrielle Etter each had 10.

Emma Horning had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Hoban, while Meghan Donohue had 12 points.

Matt Pawlikowski is a freelance writer from Cleveland.

Las Vegas bookies favor San Francisco 49ers over Baltimore Ravens by 4.5 points in Super Bowl

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In this gambling city, expectations are that this could be the heaviest bet title game ever.

LAS VEGAS — If the Baltimore Ravens are to become Super Bowl champions, they'll have to beat the odds again to do it.

Bookmakers in this gambling city mostly have the San Francisco 49ers 4.5-point favorites over the Ravens in the Super Bowl, amid expectations this could be the heaviest bet title game ever.

Super Bowl Football_Boot.jpg View full size This combo image made of Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, photos shows San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, in Atlanta, and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in Foxborough, Mass., during their NFL football conference championship games. Get ready for the Brother Bowl -- it'll be Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh when Big Bro John's Baltimore Ravens (13-6) play Little Bro Jim's San Francisco 49ers (13-4-1) in the Super Bowl at New Orleans in two weeks.  

"It's a monster matchup, brother versus brother," William Hill oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro said. "I believe it will top last year's Super Bowl handle and could go higher."

Some sports books didn't even wait until the clock ran out in the Ravens win over the New England Patriots to set the line. At the LVH sports book, a line favoring the 49ers by 4.5 points was put up just before the 2-minute warning, and bettors didn't waste any time to get money down on the game.

"We've got money coming in as we speak, it looks like it will be good on both sides," said LVH book director Jay Kornegay. "These teams mirror each other, but the 49ers are a bit more sexy now than the Ravens."

At William Hill, which operates 75 betting parlors in Nevada, oddsmakers opened the game with the 49ers a 5-point favorite, as did some other books. But it was quickly bet down to 4.5 points, a line that seemed to be holding in the early betting.

"We had what I consider a large bet come in at 5 points and moved down from there," said Vaccaro, who said he believes the line will hold between 4 and 4 1/2 points until close to the day of the game.

Baltimore already is the first underdog of more than a touchdown to win both the division and championship playoff rounds. The Ravens were 7.5-point underdogs to the Patriots before beating them 28-13 to win the AFC title game.

"The Ravens are the hot team now but they're not getting a lot of support from the public," Kornegay said. "These are very similar teams, both can run the ball well, play smash mouth football and have two quarterbacks playing very good football."

Last year's game between the New York Giants and the Patriots drew $93.9 million in wagers in Nevada, just under the record $94.5 million bet in 2006 when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. Those who follow the betting industry closely say hundreds of millions of dollars — possibly even billions — will be bet on the game by the time the offshore sports books and illegal bookmakers take in their share.

Like the LVH, some books in Las Vegas opened the game at 4.5 points, while others put their number up at 5. Most of the major Las Vegas sports books were at 4.5 points, with a few listing the 49ers at 4 points Sunday night.

The over/under, where bettors can wager on whether the two teams will combine for more or less points than the posted number, was at 49 points at most books.

Point spreads fluctuate on games, especially the most heavily bet ones, according to how much oddsmakers take on each team. A big bet on one team can sometimes send a line moving a half point one way or another, though most movement normally takes place in the days just before the game.

Nevada oddsmakers also post hundreds of proposition bets on the game, everything from who will win the coin flip to which quarterback will have more passing yards. Those bets aren't expected to be posted fully until later in the week.

Vaccaro said the proximity of the 49ers to Nevada should boost betting on the game.

Casinos have lost once only once on the Super Bowl the last 10 years, in 2008 when bettors gambled $92 million and casinos lost $2.57 million as the Giants beat New England, 17-14.


NBA foreign-born players in spotlight as we say happy birthday to Olajuwon, Schrempf

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On Jan. 21, we say happy birthday to Hakeem Olajuwon and Detlef Schrempf. In their honor (both turn 50) we have a list of 20 NBA players born outside of the United States. You might be surprised by a few.

schrempf.JPG Hakeem Olajuwon and Detlef Schrempf battle it out in a 1996 game.  

PDQuotient/Foreigners in the NBA

Today -- Jan. 21 -- Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) and Detlef Schrempf (West Germany) turn 50. It got us to thinking about where NBA players came from and are coming from. Many countries are represented; here's a smattering:

Argentina -- Carlos Delfino.

Australia -- Andrew Bogut.

Belgium -- Tony Parker (raised in France).

Belize -- Milt Palacio.

Brazil -- Anderson Varejao.

Cameroon -- Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje.

China -- Yao Ming.

Croatia -- Toni Kukoc.

Great Britain -- Luol Deng.

Italy -- Andrea Bargnani.

Jamaica -- Patrick Ewing.

Lebanon -- Rony Seikaly.

Lithuania -- Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Panama -- Rolando Blackman.

Romania -- Ernie Grunfeld.

St. Vincent (Grenadines Islands) -- Adonal Foyle.

Serbia -- Vlade Divac.

South Africa -- Steve Nash (raised in Canada).

Spain -- Pau Gasol.

Sweden -- Miles Simon.

Monday, Jan. 21 television and radio sports listings for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio

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Highlights include high school, college and NBA basketball and Detroit at Columbus Blue Jackets hockey.

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL

Noon Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) vs. Lone Peak (Utah), ESPNU

2 p.m. Oak Hill (Va.) vs. Simeon (Ill.), ESPNU

4 p.m. Montverde (Fla.) vs. Findlay Prep (Nev.), ESPNU

6 p.m. Dematha (Md.) vs. Hudson Catholic (N.J.), ESPNU

8 p.m. Mater Dei (Calif.) at LAKEWOOD ST. EDWARD, TWCS-311

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

3:30 p.m. Cincinnati at Syracuse, ESPN

5:30 p.m. Oklahoma State at Baylor, ESPN

7:30 p.m. Georgetown at Notre Dame, ESPN

8 p.m. Bethune-Cookman at Savannah State, ESPNU

9:30 p.m. Texas at Oklahoma, ESPN; FM/92.3

10 p.m. Southern at Alabama A&M (tape), ESPNU 

MEN’S COLLEGE WRESTLING

8:30 p.m. Illinois at Minnesota, Big Ten Network

NBA

1 p.m. Indiana at Memphis, ESPN

7 p.m. San Antonio at Philadelphia, TNT

9:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Chicago, TNT

NHL

7:30 p.m. Detroit at COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS, NBCSN

TENNIS

9 p.m. Australian Open, quarterfinals, ESPN2

3:30 a.m. (Tues.) Australian Open, quarterfinals, ESPN2

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

6:30 p.m. Penn State at Michigan, Big Ten Network

7 p.m. Duke at UConn, ESPN2 


Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs added to Pro Bowl roster

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This is the third trip to Hawaii for the Kent State alum.

cribbs.jpg View full size Cleveland Browns kick returner Josh Cribbs is headed to Hawaii to play in the Pro Bowl for the third time.  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kick returner Josh Cribbs was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster Sunday, replacing Baltimore's Jacoby Jones. Players on teams that reach the Super Bowl do not play in the Pro Bowl, which will be played next Sunday in Hawaii.

This is Cribbs' third Pro Bowl selection. He also went to Hawaii after the 2007 and 2009 seasons as the AFC's kick returner. He finished fourth in the NFL this year in kickoff return average (27.4) and sixth in punt return average (12.0). He also added nine special teams tackles. Cribbs also became just the sixth player in league history to total 12,000 or more career kick and punt return yards.

He is the third Brown on the AFC team, joining left tackle Joe Thomas and place-kicker Phil Dawson.

Strongsville's Aaron White growing nicely into a prime Big Ten role with Iowa Hawkeyes

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A Plain Dealer All-Star, three-time All-Northeast Ohio Conference all-star and the second-leading scorer in Strongsville history, White got his only Big Ten offer from Iowa.

iowa-white-reax-dunk-wisc-2013-ap.jpg View full size Former Strongsville High star Aaron White (30) enjoys the moment after dunking over Wisconsin's Mike Bruesewicz last Saturday in Iowa City.  

COLUMBUS, Ohio – When Aaron White left Ohio for Iowa the morning after his graduation from Strongsville High two years ago -- with his mom, like many moms, crying in the car -- no one was sure if he was a Big Ten basketball player.

Tuesday night he's playing in Ohio for the first time since then. As the second-leading scorer for the Iowa Hawkeyes, coming off a season in which he made the Big Ten All-Freshman team, no one wonders that anymore.

White's mother, Debbie Kuntz, was understandably emotional on the start of the 7.5-hour drive in 2011. But she was there in Iowa City again Saturday when the Hawkeyes handed Wisconsin its first Big Ten loss of the season, and, according to Kuntz, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan told her son after game, “How'd you get by me?”

White got by a lot of people. A Plain Dealer All-Star, a three-time All-Northeast Ohio Conference all-star and the second-leading scorer in Strongsville history, White got his only Big Ten offer from Iowa. His college decision came down to the Hawkeyes and Duquesne.

“His body is maybe not a Big Ten body,” said Joe Lynch, White's high school coach, “but his skills are great for a young kid.”

While finding a fit in Iowa City as one of the first recruits for third-year Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, White has carried his past with him a bit.

“Coach McCaffery saw something in me,” White said in a recent phone interview with The Plain Dealer. “I always had confidence in my ability and always wondered why I wasn't getting recruited by the bigger schools coming out of high school, because I really thought I could play at this level. This coaching staff believed in me and I wanted to prove to everyone who didn't offer me I could make a big contribution on a team in the Big Ten.”

Sure, one of White's most well-known highlights so far is throwing a shoe at McCaffery – in a good way. In a win at Northwestern on Jan. 13, White saw a shoe lying in the lane that had come off a Wildcat player, and he scampered out of the post to grab it and throw it off the court – accidentally flinging it right over McCaffery's head.

“I didn't mean to throw in that hard,” White said with a laugh. “We were trying to isolate the guy without the shoe, because it's hard to play when you're in a sock.”

A better indication of White's career so far came on Saturday, when he scored 17 points (making 13 of 15 free throws) and grabbed seven rebounds in beating the Badgers.

Aaron White dunks over Wisconsin

It was the first big conference win of the season for the Hawkeyes after a 0-3 start that included a four-point loss to Indiana and a three-point loss to Michigan State. If the Hawkeyes can continue to play tight games with the best teams in the nation's best conference, they could have a shot at the school's first NCAA bid in seven seasons.

McCaffery seems to have things headed in the right direction, with White right at the front of the pack.

“As a freshman, he never really got on me because he wanted me to play as confidently as I could,” White said of his coach. “This year, he's really looking to me to try to step up and be a leader.”

In the off-season, White said he got stronger and quicker. He said he improved his ball-handling and pull-up jumper. At 6-8 and 220 pounds he's a bigger, better version of the player who first hopped in that car and headed for Iowa. And he's still a fit in thinking the game and flashing his ability to run the floor as a big man in McCaffery's offense.

“I wish he was closer to home, but the fit is absolutely perfect,” White's father, Rick, said. “Fran lets him play the style he wants to play. He's a lot more physical than I ever thought he would be, and he's more athletic than he looks, but he likes to run and he's not a banger.”

He's what the Hawkeyes wanted and needed. His mother said she had to get used to the idea of walking around campus with her son and watching him sign autographs. While White's family makes the drive to Iowa for a lot of home games, the trip to Ohio State for the first time will be different. Iowa didn't play at Columbus last season, so White will have the largest rooting section of his college career.

His Big Ten career.

Villa Angela-St. Joseph's boys basketball team tops among locals in Associated Press state polls for week of Jan. 21, 2013

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Here’s how a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school boys basketball teams in the third of seven weekly Associated Press polls. Included are won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses). DIVISION I  

Villa Angela St. Joseph, led by coach Babe Kwasniak, is ranked second in the Associated Press' Division IV state poll. It's the best ranking for an area team across the four divisions. - (Peggy Turbett, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Here’s how a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school boys basketball teams in the third of seven weekly Associated Press polls. Included are won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses).

DIVISION I  

1. Cols. Northland (18) 13-0  209   

2. Westerville N. (2)   12-0  180   

3. Cin. Walnut Hills (2)   14-1  152   

4. Tol. Whitmer   11-2  132   

5. Norwalk   14-0  121   

6. Tol. St. John’s   11-3  87   

7. Mentor   12-2  81   

8. St. Ignatius   9-3 77   

9. Tol. Cent. Cath.   8-2 42   

10. Reynoldsburg   13-2  33   

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Shaker Hts. 18. 12. Cin. Moeller 16.  

DIVISION II  

1. Day. Thurgood Marshall (17)   12-1  213   

2. Cols. Watterson (1)   10-1  156   

3. Day. Dunbar (1)   11-3  152   

4. Kettering Alter (1)   12-1  139   

5. St. Clairsville   10-1  120   

6. Cols. Brookhaven (1)   10-2  117   

7. Granville   11-2  74   

8. Can. S.   12-2  50   

9. Central Catholic   8-3 47   

10. Trotwood-Madison (1)   7-6 29   

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Franklin 19. 12. SVSM 18. 12. Vincent Warren 18. 14. Archbishop Hoban 13.  

DIVISION III  

1. Cin. Summit Country Day (21)   13-0  219   

2. Lima Cent. Cath.   13-1  175   

3. Ottawa-Glandorf   12-1  162   

4. Bloom-Carroll   14-0  145   

5. St. Bernard Roger Bacon   14-1  136   

6. Findlay Liberty-Benton   11-1  96   

7. Ironton (1)   10-2  72   

8. Versailles   10-2  51   

9. Oak Hill   12-2  48   

10. Beachwood   9-2 44   

Others receiving 12 or more points: None.  

DIVISION IV  

1. St. Henry (13)   14-1  188   

2. Villa Angela-St. Joseph (6)   11-2  169   

3. New Madison Tri-Village (1)   15-0  148   

4. Bristol (1)   12-0  126   

5. Cols. Africentric   12-2  117   

6. Newark Cath. (1)   11-2  116   

7. Old Fort   15-1  94   

8. Richmond Hts.   11-2  76   

9. Ft. Recovery   10-2  67   

10. Tol. Christian   11-1  26   

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Convoy Crestview 21. 12. New Bremen 14.  

 

Cleveland Browns' 100 best all-time players: No. 47, Thom Darden (video)

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Darden, a safety from 1972-81, overcame a serious knee injury that cost him the 1975 season and became -- and remains -- the Browns' career interceptions leader.

thom-darden.jpg Browns all-time interceptions leader Thom Darden.  


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A countdown of the top 100 players in Cleveland
Browns history. Players must have spent at least four seasons with the
Browns. The ranking is based only on players' careers with the Browns.



No. 47, Thom Darden, safety, 1972-81



The Browns selected Michigan's Thom Darden with the 18th pick in the first round of the 1972 draft.



Darden became the Browns' starter at strong safety during his rookie training camp, playing alongside free safety Walt Sumner. The pair switched positions in 1973 -- Darden moving to free safety, where he would stay the rest of his career, and where his speed and ball-hawking instincts were maximized. Listed at 6-2 and 195 pounds, Darden was more than a center fielder in pass coverage, though. He was a strong and sure tackler, providing superb run support and adding a toughness to the Cleveland defense.



Darden is the Browns' all-time leader in interceptions (45) and interception return yardage (820). He returned two picks for touchdowns and also scored once off a fumble recovery.



The Browns used Darden as a punt returner in his first three seasons, but never again. That, in part, was because he suffered a major knee injury and missed the entire 1975 campaign.



Darden had major knee surgery, and during that era, it was no guarantee that a player could return to action from the procedure, let alone perform to his previous standards. Darden, though, picked up right where he left off, making second-team all-NFL in his 1976 comeback season. He was a first-team all-NFL selection in 1978 -- the year of his lone Pro Bowl appearance -- and earned some first-team all-conference and second-team all-NFL recognition in 1979.



Darden led the NFL with 10 interceptions and 200 return yards in 1978. The interceptions remain a team record, matched by Anthony Henry in 2001.



The Browns made the playoffs just twice during Darden's career, though they also contended for the postseason in 1973, 1976, 1978 and 1979.



Cleveland lost the two playoff games Darden played in, but he and the defense helped keep the Browns in both: the 20-14 loss to the Dolphins in Miami in 1972; the wrenching 14-12 loss to the Oakland Raiders at frigid Cleveland Stadium that finished the memorable 1980 "Kardiac Kids" season.



Darden returned a punt 38 yards in the loss at Miami, when the Browns nearly prevented what would become the only perfect season in NFL history. The Browns led, 14-13, midway through the fourth quarter, but the Dolphins rallied for a touchdown and the win, on their way to the Super Bowl championship and an overall 17-0 record (schedules included 14-game regular seasons from 1961 until expanding to 16 games in 1978).



(The Browns' all-time top 100 players so far)



Video: From a segment of ABC's Monday Night Football on Sept. 24, 1979 at Cleveland Stadium. Thom Darden (27) is at free safety for the Browns during their 26-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys. About 4:30 in, Darden intercepts a Roger Staubach pass and returns it 39 yards for a touchdown:



Boston's Jeff Green says Cleveland is 'a special place' after life-saving heart surgery

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Boston teammates Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox are back on the basketball court after life-saving heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in the past year.

celtics-green-suns-dunk-2013-ap.jpg View full size Boston's Jeff Green (dunking over Phoenix's Goran Dragic) says he'll have a special spot in his heart for Cleveland, where he underwent a career-saving -- and potentially life-saving -- heart surgery last year.  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jeff Green wished himself a happy anniversary.

On Jan. 9, the Celtics forward Tweeted, "A year ago my life changed...#1-9-12 #blessed to see another day and thankful for my family and friends. LOVE Y'ALL!!!"

Later that day, he scored 14 points in 25 minutes in the Celtics' victory over Phoenix. It was the one-year anniversary of his surgery at the Cleveland Clinic to repair an aortic root aneurysm.

"I don't cry," an emotional Green told reporters after the game that night. "But it was ... I'm just glad to be here, glad to be alive, glad to be playing basketball."

Tuesday, Green returns to Cleveland for the first time since that surgery as the Celtics face the Cavaliers at The Q.

"My feelings for Cleveland are a little bit different because there's always the memory of me having surgery here," said Green, whose recovery was monitored by doctors in Boston. "Cleveland is a special place to me now because it's a place that helped save my life."

He admits there are times he can hardly believe he is back.

"Occasionally you have a chance to reflect on the whole year and what I've been through," he said. "It is still amazing to me that I'm able to play and play at the level I'm playing at, having the success that I've had. Nobody would have thought that I'd come back and produce the way I have."

Actually, his surgeon at the Clinic, Dr. Lars Svensson, thought Green would return -- and told him so at the time of his diagnosis.

"My expectation was that about two months after the surgery he could start playing casual games and start working on getting back into shape mentally and physically," Svensson said. "I expected that he was going to be able to do that."

What neither Svensson nor Green expected was that two months after Green's surgery, teammate Chris Wilcox would need the same operation by the same surgeon at the same hospital.

"It was weird," Green said. "I remember telling my best friend, 'I'd never wish this on my worst enemy.' So, two months later to get a call from one of my good friends saying he had to have the surgery was tough to hear.

"It helped me in a way to just be there for somebody and to help them go through everything. It's a tough process. For us to be there for each other, it was a good thing. Mentally, it helped us."

Svensson recalled the story from Wilcox's point of view.

"Chris told me the story than when Jeff first came to play for the Celtics, it was an emotional situation," Svensson said. "He replaced a popular player in Boston [Kendrick Perkins, who was sent to Oklahoma City in a trade]. He was a young person coming onto the team and Chris was asked to sort of mentor and help him settle into the Celtics and make him feel at home.

"When Chris had the surgery after Jeff, Jeff was very kind and returned the favor to Chris, and he sort of mentored him through the surgery and what to expect and was calling him at a regular basis. It was a very nice little twist to the experience and their friendship."

According to Svensson, both players had the same problem. The part of the aorta near where the aortic valve is seated had grown in size to the point where it was potentially life-threatening.

"It involves some of the pumping chamber of the heart," said Svensson, who has done about 400 of these surgeries. "It's in a critical area of the heart and the electrical supply to the heart. It's a very important area of the heart apart from the risk of this bursting and causing an aneurysm."

The surgery takes about six hours, and the heart is stopped about an hour or 75 minutes. Green said his recovery and return went almost exactly as Svensson said it would. He took things slow, not returning to the basketball court until June. Then, as he drove to the basket during one of his first pickup games at his alma mater, Georgetown, he got hit in the chest -- and nothing happened.

"I just continued to play on," Green said. "After that, I felt like I'd be OK just to go out there and play and not worry about anything else."

That's what Svensson likes to hear.

"I think the message here is that both of them had very serious conditions, and both of them had them taken care of and they're back again playing at an extremely high standard," the doctor said. "When people get appropriate care, they can get back to playing at that super level again."

Green agreed.

"For anybody who goes through the surgery, to come back 110 percent is possible," he said. "I've talked to so many people. I've talked to so many kids. I tell them, 'Don't allow the surgery or the procedure to hold you back from doing what you want to do. If you look at me, I'm in the NBA, I had the surgery and six months later I'm back on the court, playing full throttle. A couple months after that I'm back on an NBA court, doing what I love to do. I'm happy and there's no setbacks. You've just got to take it in stride and be passionate about whatever it is you're coming back to.'"

On Twitter: @pdcavsinsider


Central Catholic falls in Hoop finale to Archbishop Alter, 75-67

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KETTERING, Ohio -- Flyin' to the Hoop might have been new to Central Catholic, but it sure had a familiar feel. "We've seen all this before," said junior Chelvonte Montgomery following a 75-67 setback to Archbishop Alter in the final day of a four-day, 20-game boys high school basketball invitational at Fairmont's Trent Arena.

KETTERING, Ohio -- Flyin' to the Hoop might have been new to Central Catholic, but it sure had a familiar feel.

"We've seen all this before," said junior Chelvonte Montgomery following a 75-67 setback to Archbishop Alter in the final day of a four-day, 20-game boys high school basketball invitational at Fairmont's Trent Arena.

"We've seen good guards; good bigs. Definitely, we want a rematch."

The only way that could happen is if both teams advance to the Division II final four in March. That's probably a longshot, but don't count it out.

As usual, the Ironmen leaned on Montgomery for a team-high 23 points, six steals and five rebounds. But the young lineup -- Central starts two freshmen and two sophomores -- couldn't match his effectiveness and wore out in the second half.

"He's my kind of guy," Ironmen coach Jonathan Harris said. "We just need him to rub off a little more on those younger guys and get them to commit and play at his level. But they're babies. You can't ask a baby to go out and start walking right out of the gate."

Tervell Beck added 16 points and six rebounds for Central and Antwon Lilliard 13 points.Alter (12-1) led by as much as 21 points before Central's late surge made the final respectable.

Central's promising season start has melted into 8-4 following a tough new-year stretch. The Ironmen are on a 2-3 slide, but have played some of the state's best teams, regardless of division. The record reflects growing pains, something that could pay off come the postseason. Montgomery's high-end motor will be key to that.

"It's games like this that'll make you better in the long run," Harris said. "We're young and I'm a young coach. We're growing together."

Harris likened Central to Alter; both are top-level D-II programs in their respective parts of the state, but overshadowed by other programs. Alter slid to fourth in this week's Associated Press state poll, behind Dayton's No. 1 Thurgood Marshall and No. 3 Dunbar. Central, ranked No. 9, is shooting for similar notoriety that can only come after the regular season.

"We're gonna keep fighting and get through it," assured Montgomery. "We're preparing for playoff time."

Marc Pendleton is a writer for the Dayton Daily News.

Sizzling fourth quarter powers Twinsburg girls past Reynoldsburg

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BERLIN, Ohio -- The two-time defending state champions played like champions with the game in the balance. Twinsburg's top-ranked, undefeated girls basketball team rallied from a seven-point deficit late in the third quarter to overtake state challenger Reynoldsburg, 45-38, Monday at the Classic in the Country Challenge.

BERLIN, Ohio -- The two-time defending state champions played like champions with the game in the balance.

Twinsburg's top-ranked, undefeated girls basketball team rallied from a seven-point deficit late in the third quarter to overtake state challenger Reynoldsburg, 45-38, Monday at the Classic in the Country Challenge.

"I am incredibly proud of my kids," Twinsburg's fourth-year coach Julie Solis said. "I thought the kids did the best job all year of following the game plan."

The Tigers limited Reynoldsburg's inside attack and out-rebounded the Raiders 31-20. Trailing, 35-28, with a minute to play in the third quarter, Twinsburg forced multiple turnovers and ran off a 17-3 spurt to end the game.

Senior Ashley Morrissette, the Tigers' lone returning starter, accumulated a game-high 20 points, four assists and four steals. "Her performance was impeccable," Solis said of her 5-9 guard, who is headed to Purdue.

Morrissette's two steals and momentum-changing 3-point goal, along with two put-back baskets by senior Char-dell Dunnigan, were pivotal in the comeback. Junior Baleigh Reid and senior Brooke Smith sealed the win by combining to make five of six free throws late.

Dunnigan, a 6-2 forward, tallied eight points and 10 rebounds.

Morrissette lifted Twinsburg (16-0) from a slow start, dazzling a large crowd with deft passing and a 3-point goal from the left corner to give the Tigers a 22-19 lead at half. The game was a battle of wills with Reynoldsburg (15-2) trying to throw the ball inside to 6-3 junior Alyssa Rice and 6-1 senior Destini Cooper, while the smaller Tigers worked to wall off the lane.

"We wanted to make it tough on their post [players] and I thought we did a good job," Solis said.

Rice finished with 17 points, but no other Raider had more than six points. Reynoldsburg shot 35 percent from the floor.

"I told Julie before the game that I was really impressed with how good they are for all of the people they lost last year," Reynoldsburg coach Jack Purtell said. "She's got a lot of new pieces to the puzzle and the kids are really playing their roles well."

Reynoldsburg returns four starters from a team which lost to Twinsburg, 49-41, in a Division I state semifinal last March.

Purtell isn't the only one impressed by the coaching job being turned in by Solis. "It's truly the sign of a great coach," said Ohio Girls Basketball Report publisher Tom Jenkins. "She's looked at her personnel and looked at what her strengths are and then completely flip-flopped her philosophy.

"This year, without a doubt, from what I've seen from being up here 14 years, this is the best coaching job she's ever done."

Jeff Brewer is a freelance writer based in Green.

Solon girls outlast Pickerington North, 49-48

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BERLIN, Ohio -- Solon overcame a stunning, game-tying 3-pointer and an unusual ending to nip Pickerington North, 49-48, Monday at the Classic in the Country. Junior guard Kristen Confroy led the Comets with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals.

BERLIN, Ohio -- Solon overcame a stunning, game-tying 3-pointer and an unusual ending to nip Pickerington North, 49-48, Monday at the Classic in the Country.

Junior guard Kristen Confroy led the Comets with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals.

"The kids played really well in the second half, controlling the ball and not turning the ball over quite so much," Solon coach Trish Kruse said.

It was an uphill climb for Solon (11-3), which tied the game at 45 on sophomore Natalia Kontul's rebound follow with 1:52 left. Then senior Martha Thompson assisted Confroy for a lay-up and Solon led, 47-45, at 1:19.

Thompson's free throw with 31 seconds to go gave the Comets a 48-45 lead and set the stage for a clutch shot. Pickerington North sophomore Emily Thomas (16 points) dribbled to the top of the key and hoisted a long 3-pointer to tie the score at 48 with seven seconds left.

"I felt comfortable having hit two 3-pointers earlier in the game," said Thomas. "So, I told them to give me the ball."

Two foul calls in the final 3.4 seconds added to the drama. The first came when Solon junior Alexis Gray was knocked down setting a screen at half court. She sank the first of two free tosses lifting the Comets to a 49-48 lead. The second whistle resulted in a Solon team-control foul. It gave Pickerington North (10-6) time for a desperation heave, but no free throws.

"Definitely not one of our best games, but we came down the stretch and did what we needed to do," Confroy said.

Jeff Brewer is a freelance writer based in Green.

Sellout crowd welcomes NHL back to Columbus in 4-3 shootout loss to Detroit

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Nobody was happy another labor dispute had cost the NHL virtually half a season, but fans returned and renewed their vows with a Columbus franchise that has been every bit as futile as the Browns.

jackets-fans-thanks-2013-mct.jpg View full size The Columbus Blue Jackets took the ice Monday night wearing warm-up jerseys that read "Thank You Fans" before the start of the team's NHL home opener against Detroit at Nationwide Arena.  

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If all had gone as scheduled, hockey's sharpest minds and best players would have converged on Nationwide Arena this weekend in celebration of their sport and this city.

But as Blue Jackets' fans who have witnessed more lockouts (two) than playoff appearances (one) can attest, little has gone as planned since the puck was first dropped here in 2000. The second work stoppage in less than a decade led to the cancellation of the NHL All-Star Game. It's the latest in a series of disappointments for a fan base that has proven more resilient than many of their teams these last 13 years.

"I hate stupid and [the lockout] seemed like a stupid thing to me," said Mike Huffman, outfitted in a white Jackets jersey and blue cap for Monday's delayed season opener against Detroit. "You're telling me you can't find a quicker way to split $3 billion? ... The All-Star Game would have been such a boon for the city. People would have been standing shoulder to shoulder down here."

Monday night, Huffman, 60, and his son Brent, 31, were downtown in the Arena District standing shoulder to shoulder inside the bustling R Bar two hours before the puck was dropped. Nobody was happy another labor dispute had cost the league virtually half a season, but fans returned and renewed their vows with a franchise that has been every bit as futile as the Browns since their rebirth.

A sellout crowd of 19,206 fans -- some whom took advantage of a lockout-inspired, two-for-one ticket offer -- saw the Blue Jackets lose, 4-3, in a shootout. The home team took the ice for pre-game warm-ups donning "Thank You Fans, No. 1" jerseys to the strains of Soundgarden's "Been Away Too Long."

• Red Wings-Blue Jackets statistics

"There was a level of [fan] frustration that was consistent with anywhere you go," said Blue Jackets alternate captain R.J. Umberger, the former OSU Buckeye who makes Columbus his year-round home. "But there were a lot of people who said, 'We'll be back for you.' The level of support is still amazing."

Fans returned to the sights of a spectacular new center-ice scoreboard and the NHL's youngest roster, one bereft of its lone star the past nine seasons. Winger Rick Nash, weary of the losing, forced the Jackets to trade him in the off-season to the New York Rangers in exchange for forwards Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinksy, defenseman Tim Erixon and a first-round draft pick.

"When you lose a guy like him it's a bit of an eye opener, it's shocking," pugnacious winger Derek Dorsett said. "At the same time we're moving forward."

A season removed from the league's worst record, the Jackets aren't expected to contend for the playoffs, but a lockout-shortened, 48-game schedule figures to deliver a few surprises. They have a credible defensive corps and a new goaltender in Sergei Bobrovsky, who backstopped an unlikely opening-night shootout win in Nashville.

jackets-atkinson-goal-wings-2013-ap.jpg View full size Cam Atkinson scored the Blue Jackets' first home goal of the season with this second-period move against Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard.  

The most important fresh face in Columbus belongs to an old goalie. John Davidson, one of the NHL's most respected and well-connected figures, became the president of hockey operations after spending the previous six seasons in the same capacity with the St. Louis Blues.

A deep front office and an ownership change in St. Louis made Davidson expendable. The Jackets wisely extended an offer, giving him final say in shaping a roster a year after fans organized a protest against team management.

Davidson sees similarities between the state of the franchise and the one that greeted him in St. Louis in 2006.

"We had been [last in the NHL] and we had some passionate fans, but not enough of them," said Davidson, whose team possesses three 2013 first-round picks. "We had to reconnect with the town. ... I think here the people are just starving for something."

Davidson recalls the excitement in Nationwide Arena when the Jackets reached the playoffs in 2009. Contrary to popular belief outside the 270 Beltway, fans here will support a club wearing colors other than scarlet and gray. That postseason appearance brought fans back into a building that had been sold out for every game during the 2001-02 season.

The Jackets' season-ticket base, however, has dwindled to slightly over 7,000, according to Columbus Business First, down 1,000 from a year ago. The total could have been significantly worse without the promise of the All-Star Game, which according to the Greater Columbus Sports Commission would have generated $12 million in visitor spending. The Jackets are hopeful the league will award them the 2015 game.

"Even after the season we had last year you felt the buzz the around the city because of the All-Star Game," Dorsett said.

Some around the league believe it's hard to judge the market given how poorly the team has perennially performed. Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has called Columbus the "hidden jewel" of the NHL.

Monday night’s crowd was the largest ever to attend a Jackets’ regular-season game in Nationwide Arena. It saw the home team rally from a two-goal deficit to take a 3-2 lead on goals from Cam Atkinson, James Wisniewski and Vinny Prospal. Bobrovsky contributed his second straight quality start, making 42 saves as the Jackets gained a point in the standings. He was helpless on Pavel Datsyuk's game-tying goal with 6:04 remaining in regulation. 

The Wings' Damien Brunner scored the only goal of the four-round shootout. After it concluded, the Jackets autographed and gave away their jerseys to select fans.

The last lockout cost Jackets’ fans an entire season. This one robbed them of an All-Star Game. Giving folks the sweat-soaked jerseys off their backs is a fine gesture, but what will really say thanks is a winning season.

Stifling defense leads St. Edward to upset of nationally-ranked Mater Dei, 58-44

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LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Go figure. St. Edward was not able to beat its arch-rival on Saturday, but bring in a nationally-ranked team and the Eagles give validation to the phrase, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

St. Edward's Kipper Nichols uses power and a snarl to get past Mater Dei's James McGee during the second quarter of Monday's Eagles victory. - (Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer )

LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Go figure.

St. Edward was not able to beat its arch-rival on Saturday, but bring in a nationally-ranked team and the Eagles give validation to the phrase, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Using a defense that gave nationally-ranked Mater Dei fits, the Eagles scored their most impressive victory in many seasons on Monday when they stunned the Monarchs, 58-44, in front of a standing-room-only crowd in excess of 1,800 fans.

It was Mater Dei's first loss of the season -- against 20 victories -- and spoiled the homecoming of Elijah Brown, the son of former Cavs and Lakers coach Mike Brown.

"That's a hard question to answer," said St. Edward coach Eric Flannery, when asked where the victory stood in school annals. "But right now I'm feeling pretty good, so I'd have to say it would stack up there with the best."

The victory came two days after the Eagles lost to St. Ignatius. The difference in intensity between the two games was one of the differences.

"You hate to say you had more intensity than you did against your arch-rival, but that's the way it was," said Flannery. "Our intensity level was way higher tonight. Maybe the crowd had something to do with that."

The St. Edward student cheering section was loud from start to finish. Mater Dei, from Santa Ana, Cal., left the building after a short meeting in the locker room.

The Eagles won this game with defense. They held the Monarchs to 21 points over the final three quarters. That's fewer than they scored in the first quarter, which ended with St. Edward trailing, 23-17.

"We talked about what we had to do defensively to win," said Flannery. "We felt we had to play our best defensive game of the year and we had to rebound. We did both."

Mater Dei had a miserable shooting night, making just 16 of 52 field goal attempts and seven of 16 free throws. They missed 29 of 37 attempts over the final 24 minutes. Unofficially, St. Edward had a 32-24 edge in rebounds.

The game was televised back to California and St. Edward sophomore Kipper Nichols took the opportunity to showcase his talents. The 6-6 forward, who lives in Orange, led the Eagles with 22 points and 10 rebounds and was the best player on the floor.

"This is just an awesome feeling," said Nichols, who had 10 points and four rebounds in the fourth quarter. "A lot of people doubted us, but I can tell you we have 15 guys on this team who can contribute. We needed this game, especially after Saturday. We weren't intimidated. We wanted to go straight at them."

Nichols had support as 6-4 junior Marsalis Hamilton scored 12 points and had seven rebounds and junior Tony Vuyancih finished with eight points and four rebounds.

High school All-American Stanley Johnson led Mater Dei, which now has lost twice to Ohio schools. St. Vincent-St. Mary beat the Monarchs in Los Angeles during the 2002-03 season behind LeBron James.

Johnson, a 6-7 junior, scored 16 points and had 11 rebounds after not starting the game because he missed the flight to Cleveland on Saturday. He had seven of those rebounds in the fourth quarter. Brown, who picked up three fouls in the first half, was the only other Mater Dei player in double figures with 13.

St. Edward trailed at the half, 28-25, but Hamilton, Vuyancih and Nichols scored the first six points of the third quarter while Mater Dei missed its first eight shots. Nichols' basket on a reverse layup with 5:42 left in the quarter gave St. Edward a lead it never relinquished.

The Eagles applied the finishing touches midway through the fourth quarter. Leading 46-42, Nichols scored eight straight points on three baskets inside and two free throws while Johnson countered with a basket on an offensive rebound. The spurt put the Eagles in front, 52-42.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: trogers@plaind.com, 216-999-5169

On Twitter: @TimRogersPD

 

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